Why is my journey to the world of anime a strange tale of rules?

The entire first floor is divided into four different tiered areas: a high-end shower area, a mid-range shower area, a low-end shower area, and a livestock washing pool. The first three tiers have separate shower areas for men and women. Only the washing pool, which appears to be for delinquent students, is communal and completely unobstructed, allowing anyone passing by to see inside. Conversely, only the mid-range and high-end shower areas have changing rooms, and only the high-end shower area has an access control system; the mid-range and low-end shower areas can be freely entered and exited.

This information was displayed quite clearly on the floor map next to the stairs, so clearly that Gao Hai couldn't help but imagine some Japanese anime scenes, but considering the insane and depraved nature of this middle school itself, he quickly suppressed these thoughts.

In the lobby on the first floor, Gao Hai also saw a simple shower rule posted on the wall:

Shower Area Usage Rules

[1. The premium area is for teachers and outstanding students only; students of other levels are not permitted to enter.]

[2. The mid-range area is for the exclusive use of outstanding and good students only. Students who do not meet the minimum requirements are not allowed to enter.]

[3. The lower-level area is for the use of ordinary students and students with behavioral problems only. Students who do not meet the minimum level requirements are not allowed to enter.]

[4. Bad students are only allowed to use the animal washing pool; bad students are never allowed to enter other levels of shower areas.]

5. All students must shower once a day; failure to do so will result in a warning.

6. Students entering the bathing area must enter the correct corresponding area; otherwise, they will receive a warning. Higher-level students entering lower-level areas are not subject to this restriction.

7. Water stains must not be left outside the shower area. Any violation will result in a warning.

8. Students may only enter the shower area when they need to shower. Students are not allowed to enter or linger on this floor when they do not need to shower. Any violation will result in a warning.

The rules themselves were very simple and clear, and the restrictions on use in different areas were exactly as Gao Hai had expected. In contrast, the last rule was what bothered him the most, giving Gao Hai a vague sense of unease.

This rule feels like a deliberate trap. It says you can't enter the shower area if you don't need to shower, but then it says you can't enter or linger on that floor, and it doesn't mention the number of warnings at all. Does this mean that any student who enters this floor and shows no intention of showering will get a warning? And since there's no specific number of warnings, will this awful place just keep giving warnings every second as long as students don't leave?

Gao Hai couldn't help but become wary, but the dormitory building was currently in a dilapidated and abandoned state under the cover of darkness, and the shower area usage rules didn't seem to be in effect yet. However, if the dormitory building were to light up and change its state like the teaching building in a while, he and Jianzi would probably have to seriously reconsider their situation if they couldn't get out of this area.

"Mr. Gao, this rule..."

When Miko, who was standing next to Gao Hai, saw the rule sheet, she showed a slightly uneasy expression.

Although she wasn't very good at analyzing rules, she still instinctively felt uneasy after seeing those rows of text, realizing that the rule sheet posted on the wall might be hiding a deadly trap.

"Don't worry, I'm right here. Just leave it to me."

Gao Hai answered calmly, took a few steps forward, and arrived directly at the entrance of the upscale shower area, which was also the only shower area entrance with a door blocking the way.

The door has an electromagnetic induction area and a keyhole, which is good; that's enough.

Click!

Amidst the sound of the wall shattering, Gao Hai ripped the door off with his bare hands and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

Behind the broken stones, Gao Hai clearly saw that what was revealed behind the damaged door was not the entrance to a shower area, but a very strange-looking corridor, exactly the same as the so-called "-1 floor" that he and Jianzi had accidentally entered on the 3rd floor.

Will we reach this strange floor if we enter the wrong path or "avoid the correct path" by breaking walls and floors?

This dormitory building is probably even more troublesome than the teaching building.

Thinking this, Gao Hai, upon clearly sensing the deathly resentment emanating from behind the broken wall, turned and ran without hesitation, pulling Jianzi along as they entered the corridor on one side of the hall and headed towards the last staircase.

In complete darkness, only the faint glow of a few candles illuminated the dilapidated corridor.

Seeing that Kazuko was following closely beside Takahashi, even when he did something as bizarre as carrying a door forward, the girl found herself not surprised at all, as if it were only natural for Takahashi to do such a thing.

Gao Hai himself carefully observed the surroundings as he moved forward, and quickly found something noteworthy in the seemingly chaotic and dilapidated ruins.

That thing... is a bullet hole!

On one side of the wall in this corridor, which is divided into mid-range and low-end shower areas and livestock washing pools, there is a clear bullet hole.

The caliber doesn't look very large; it's probably a pistol caliber.

Judging from the bullet holes, the gunman appears to have entered the corridor from the same direction as me and fired forward.

Could it be... that they are chasing after someone?

At that moment, Gao Hai couldn't help but have this thought in his heart.

Jingle Bell--

A pleasant bell rang in the corridor.

The lights suddenly turned on the next moment.

One after another, students with contorted bodies stood expressionless in the corridor, looking at Gao Hai and Jian Zi.

Then they immediately turned to look at the bull's head that Gao Hai was hanging on his waist, and bowed down to pay their respects. Some of the strange students even knelt on the ground and kowtowed gently. None of them continued to pay attention to Gao Hai and Jian Zi.

"It seems to be very effective. Very good. My dear minister, you may dispense with formalities... No, you can continue to lie there like that. Yotsuya, it's time to go. We can't delay your shower time."

With that, Gao Hai led Jianzi to increase their speed.

The girl following Gao Hai felt a slight sense of unease and disillusionment at that moment.

It feels like just yesterday that Mr. Gao called her by her full name, "Jianzi." But now he's switched back to the more unfamiliar "Yoshitani." How should I put it? I feel a little disappointed.

Seeing that she couldn't explain why she was feeling down, she could only try to put those thoughts aside and simply gave Gao Hai a soft "hmm" before continuing on her way.

So Gao Hai led Jianzi to the lowest level of the [Livestock Cleaning Area], which was actually just a large pool of water. As they entered, he casually smashed the light switch, then put down the door he was carrying and turned to Jianzi, speaking sincerely:

"Come on, let's not waste any time. Let's take a quick shower here and then leave."

As he spoke, Gao Hai took off his t-shirt, revealing a very muscular and manly physique.

Yotsuya Miko: ???

Chapter 49: Miko Yotsuya's True Uniqueness and the Non-existent Floor

That being said, this seems to be the second time already.

The scene before him reminded Gao Hai of his first playthrough in the Red Nut Gray Hole, and of the time when he and Fujiwara Chika entered the research base together, only to have to be completely honest with each other in a bathroom.

Although Chika herself has no idea what happened in that previous cycle, and bathing together with him is now a common occurrence, the fact that this has happened again, and with another girl, makes Takahashi sigh. Is this the kind of treatment only a harem light novel protagonist gets? Being forced to share a bathroom with a beautiful girl due to various unexpected events—isn't that just too pandering to otaku?

Okay, okay, I won't continue. If I keep going, it'll sound a bit like Versailles.

Thinking this, Gao Hai remained motionless in the pool, his expression unchanged. His gaze occasionally drifted to the empty, huge bathtub, where no one else was except himself and the girl behind him. He could feel the touch of the girl's skin, which was pressed against his back, more and more clearly.

Yotsuya Miko is a little flustered.

At this moment, her emotions were in a state of extreme confusion.

Although Gao Hai used the bull's head to drive away all the monsters in the bathhouse after entering, clearing the area so the girl wouldn't have to endure bathing in front of everyone, the girl could still hear and sense the sounds of those things that had once remained in the bathhouse, and hear their dying murmurs of pleas for mercy.

On the other hand, the tall man standing back-to-back with her also made it impossible for her to remain calm. The rough texture of his skin made her heart pound, especially since this man had been protecting her all along, which had already stirred up some unusual feelings in her. This made it even more difficult for her to stay calm.

"Don't be afraid, they won't dare to do anything to us."

Gao Hai noticed that Jianzi, who was leaning against him, was trembling, so he gently comforted her.

None of the students, now transformed into monstrous creatures, dared to enter the bathroom. Even while bathing, Gao Hai still held the bull's head in his hand. Incidentally, because the creature couldn't be killed and would gradually regenerate after being dismembered, the bull's head regrowed flesh twice. Therefore, Gao Hai had to repeatedly cut it to keep this thing, which allowed him to act arrogantly, calm.

"How long...are we going to have to stay here?"

Seeing that Zi asked in a low voice, she only dared to look down at the water in front of her.

"Maybe we'll have to wait until the lights are out. Relax, relax, everything will be fine."

While answering Miko, Gao Hai's gaze once again turned to the entrance of the pool.

According to the rules of the shower area, once the lights are turned on, which means Fujika Middle School has returned to a state of apparent order, he and Miko must find a place to shower. However, Takahashi wasn't sure how many times he and Miko had violated the school rules during this operation, and since separating from Miko would likely cause her trouble, after some consideration, Takahashi simply chose the lowest-level "Livestock Washing Pool" used by bad students. After all, only this level of shower area could absolutely ensure that he and Miko wouldn't violate the school rules.

To be honest, Gao Hai was prepared to face all sorts of disgusting situations, such as a blood pool full of mutilated corpses or a stinking pool covered in feces and urine. But in fact, the so-called cleaning pool was clean and the water was even warm, so there was no problem soaking in it.

It's also possible that it was because he brought Grandpa Niu's head in. After all, Grandpa Niu was a teacher. In the presence of teachers, even a cleaning pool shouldn't be treated too badly. After all, how could those high-ranking researchers tolerate such poor treatment?

But Alice is probably coming soon, isn't she?

Gao Hai silently calculated the time in his mind. The three minutes that Xiong Mi had frozen Alice in were long gone, and now that thing could come knocking on his door at any moment.

In order to prevent the situation from happening and not having enough time to react when the other party arrives, Gao Hai has summoned the second rescue team member and asked him to stay by the pool and observe the surrounding situation from time to time.

When will they arrive?

In this quiet moment of waiting, Gao Hai gradually felt uneasy.

tread--

As if deliberately provoking Gao Hai's emotions, a barely perceptible footstep sounded from the distance of the corridor.

Along with it, a soft humming sound also arose.

I stepped on a cat!

I stepped on a cat!

Did I step on the napping kitten?

It was a sound that approached little by little, like the playful singing of a child.

Gao Hai then looked to his side.

Alice, wrapped in a bath towel and sitting confidently in the water, was right next to him.

No one knows how it used it, but it secretly bypassed the rescue team member's line of sight and sneaked up to Gao Hai's side. It even deliberately created an illusion to make Gao Hai think that it was slowly approaching from a distance.

However, Gao Hai himself was already very familiar with Alice's bad-boy style, so after noticing something was wrong, he immediately began searching the surroundings and quickly used the rescue team's visual abilities to locate Alice's position.

Oh no, I think I've been found out!

Alice, who was still hidden, saw Gao Hai staring straight at her, so she took the initiative to reveal herself and gave him a sweet smile.

That irresistibly charming smile momentarily stunned even Gao Hai. But he quickly recovered, grabbed Jianzi's shoulder, pulled the girl into his arms, and then covered her ears with his hands.

Having already been instructed by Takami beforehand, Yotsuya Miko disregarded her shyness and immediately closed her eyes, instinctively snuggling closer into Takami's arms.

Even with Takami sharing the burden of mental corruption, Miko's resistance to Alice was still too weak. Therefore, the only option was to temporarily block the girl's hearing and sight when she encountered Alice, using this rudimentary method to minimize the information exchange between them.

This is the only solution Gao Hai can think of right now, and it can hardly be called a solution at all.

[The teacher is very wary of me. Looks like she's already had some close contact with other students of mine over in the teaching building, hasn't she?]

Alice chuckled, shifted her body, and merged directly into the floor beside the pool. Then she emerged from a short distance away, already dressed.

In the dim light, one could almost see Alice turning into pulverized flesh.

That was the final fate of the students in Class 1 of the first year of junior high school, located in the dormitory building. They were bricked into the wall, their pulverized flesh merging together to become a stone pillar in the dormitory building. Alice, born from these students, was able to pass freely through the walls and floors, having become one with these things.

So as long as Miko and I are still in the dormitory building, there's no way we can escape Alice's gaze. Unless we find a way to freeze this thing and trap it, it can monitor me in real time no matter where I go.

At this moment, Gao Hai, having come to understand the other party's characteristics, couldn't help but furrow his brow.

And the way this guy addressed me...